To All the Brothers and Sisters Out There: Happy Siblings Day!
給所有的手足們：兄弟姐妹節快樂！
語音播放：

Taiwan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. Therefore, chances are you are an only child. However, in the United States, 80% of people have a brother or sister. Maybe that’s why Americans decided to choose a day for honoring our brothers and sisters, called Siblings Day.
台灣是全球生育率最低的國家之一。所以，你有可能是獨生子。然而，在美國，有80%的人都有兄弟或姐妹。也許這是為什麼美國人決定要選擇一天來表達我們對兄弟姐妹的敬意，稱為兄弟姊妹節。

語音播放：

Siblings Day is an annual holiday on April 10. Although it isn’t a national holiday, it is officially recognized in most states. India has a similar, though unrelated, holiday called Raksha Bandhan, which is celebrated on August 7.
兄弟姊妹節是一年一度的節日，在每年的4月10號。儘管它不是國定假日，但在大部分的州都已法定承認這個節日。印度有一個類似但無相關的節日，稱作印度兄妹節（Raksha Bandhan），於8月7號慶祝。

語音播放：

So how should one celebrate Siblings Day? For starters, only those who have siblings can really celebrate this holiday. Just like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, the holiday is meant to honor the bond and relationship between family members. One way you could do this is to buy a small gift or write a kind card for your sibling. Another way would be to take your sibling out for dinner. Many people simply write a nice Facebook post and share a lovely picture of themselves with their sibling.
所以要怎麼慶祝兄弟姊妹節呢？首先，只有擁有兄弟姊妹的人可以確實地慶祝這節日。就像母親節及父親節一般，這節日就是為了對家人之間的牽絆及關係表達敬意。一種方式就是買個小禮物或是寫張體貼的卡片給你的兄弟姊妹。其他方式就是帶你的兄弟姐妹們出去吃晚餐。許多人會簡單地在臉書上發一篇貼心的文章，並分享和他們兄弟姊妹間的美好照片。

語音播放：

Thanks to the Internet, this interesting American holiday is now spreading quickly around the world. So next April 10, don’t forget to do something sweet for your brother or sister!
幸好有網路，才讓這個有趣的美國節慶現在能快速地傳播到全世界。所以，下一個4月10號，別忘了對你的兄弟姊妹們做一些貼心的事情喔！

Vocabulary 好字精選

1. sibling (n) brother or sister 兄弟姊妹
You need to write how many siblings you have on the form. 
你必須在表格上寫下你有多少兄弟姊妹。

2. annual (adj)  happening once per year一年的；一年一次的
Christmas is an annual event celebrated in many countries.
許多國家每年都會慶祝聖誕節。

3. officially (adj) in a formal/legal/official way官方的；正式的
Even though riding in a car without wearing a seatbelt is officially illegal, many people still do it. 
儘管乘車時未繫上安全帶是違法行為，但還是有許多人依舊我行我故。

4. unrelated (adj) not related無相關的
Even though Kevin and Amanda have the same family name, they are unrelated.  
儘管Kevin和Amanda的姓氏相同，但他們之間沒有血緣關係。

5. bond (n) connection牽絆
Nothing is more beautiful than the bond between mother and child.
沒有任何事情比母子間的牽絆更加美麗。

Phrases and Sentence Patterns 句型解析

1. birth rate (phr) the rate at which new babies are born in a region/country出生率
The African county Niger has the highest birth rate in the world.
非洲國家尼日的出生率是全球最高。

2. chances are (that) (phr) there is a good/strong chance that有機會/有可能可以…
Chances are the Russians are going to win the most medals in this Winter Olympics. 
俄羅斯極有可能贏得冬季奧林匹克賽的大部分獎牌。

3. for starters (phr) to start with, to begin 首先；作為開頭
For starters, we would like to order some garlic bread and soup. 
首先，我們想要先點一些大蒜麵包和湯品。

4. take sb. out (phr) to treat somebody to a date, meal, movie, etc. 請人去…（約會、吃飯、看電影等等）
Wendy, could I take you out to a movie this Friday? 
Wendy，我星期五可以請你去看電影嗎？

Exercise 課後練習題

1. Nancy is an only child; she doesn’t have any ____________.
Nancy是獨生女；她沒有任何的兄弟姊妹。

2. Our company’s _______________ fair takes place every year on September 1.
我們公司的年度集會舉辦於每年的9月1號。

3. Killing cows is ______________ banned in most of India.
印度大多地區都被官方禁止屠宰牛隻。

4. What are you talking about? Everything you just said is ______________ to this conversation.
你到底在說什麼？你剛說的所有事情都和這件事情並無關連。

5. The two boys developed a strong _____________ during their fishing trip.
這兩位男孩在他們釣魚之旅中，發展出強力的羈絆。

6. The government is worried because the country’s ______________ is dropping and the population is declining.
政府正在為國家持續下降的出生率及衰退的人口擔心中。

7. If you went on a holiday to New York, _______________ you saw the Statue of Liberty.
如果你去紐約度假，會有機會能看到自由女神像。

8. Opening a bank account is easy. ____________, just bring you ID and go into a bank.
在銀行開辦戶頭很簡單。首先，只要帶你的身分證並走進一家銀行即可。

9. Madeline’s parents ____________ for dinner at her favorite restaurant after she won the competition.
Madeline的父母在她贏得比賽之後，帶她去她最喜歡的餐廳用餐。

解答：
1. siblings
2. annual
3. officially
4. unrelated
5. bond
6. birth rate
7. chances are (that)
8. For starters
9. took her out

Comprehension Questions 閱讀理解

1. Which of the following is true about Siblings Day?
a. It started in India.
b. It takes place once every two years.
c. It takes place on August 7.
d. It will soon be celebrated in more countries.

2. Which is not mentioned as a possible way to honor one’s sibling?
a. Treat him or her to a meal.
b. Make a short video for him or her.
c. Write something nice on Facebook about him or her.
d. Buy a present for him or her.

解答：
1. 下列關於兄弟姊妹節的敘述，何者正確？
a. 起源於印度。
b. 每兩年慶祝一次。
c. 慶祝於8月7號。
d. 很快地會有更多國家慶祝這個節日。

2. 下列哪一項可對兄弟姊妹表達敬意的方式是內文中未提及的？
a. 請他/她吃大餐。
b. 為他/她錄製一段小短片。
c. 在臉書上寫一些關於他/她的好話。
d. 買禮物給他/她。

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